In a society and era fueled by ambition and a drive for entrepreneurship, there is a distinguished set of individuals that's achieved unimaginable fortunes. These extraordinary leaders, who possess vision and innovation, have ascended to the highest echelons of success, elevating themselves to the exclusive ranks of the world's wealthiest individuals.And that's no small feat. Mark ZuckerbergAge: 39Residence: Palo Alto, CaliforniaCitizenship: USMark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, started its flagship social media platform Facebook in 2004 when he was only 19. He was a computer science and psychology student at Harvard University. Facebook was created to match the names of students on campus with their photos. In 2006, Facebook opened to everyone at least 13 years old with a valid email address. In May 2012, Zuckerberg took the company public, and by December 2016, he was ranked 10th on the Forbes list of The World's Most Powerful People. Currently, Zuckerberg owns about 13 percent of the company's stock. The 39-year-old techie is married to Priscilla Chan and is a father of three daughters. Together with his wife, he is spending $3 billion in an attempt to end, cure or manage all diseases by the year 2100. Larry Page Age: 51Residence: Palo Alto, CaliforniaCitizenship: USLarry Page and his fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin co-founded Google in 1998. Initially, Page held the position of CEO until 2001 and later resumed the role from 2011 to 2015. He remains a member of the board of Alphabet, Google's parent company, and retains significant control over the company as a major shareholder. Additionally, Page played a vital role as a founding investor in Planetary Resources, a company that is planning to mine resources from asteroids and other planetary bodies.Sergey BrinAge: 50Residence: Los Altos, CaliforniaCitizenship: USAlongside his Stanford PhD colleague, Larry Page, Sergey Brin played a pivotal role in establishing the Google search engine in 1998. Originally from Russia, Brin initially held the position of technology president at Google and later transitioned to overseeing special projects, including the development of Google Glass, a wearable device featuring voice-activated "smart glasses." Currently, Brin serves as a board member of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, while retaining a significant controlling stake in the company. Bill GatesAge: 68Residence: Medina, WashingtonCitizenship: USIn 1987, Forbes first recognised Gates as a billionaire. From 1995 to 2017, he maintained the title of the world's richest person, with brief exceptions in 2008 and from 2010 to 2013. In 2021, Gates and Melinda French Gates finalised their divorce, with Melinda receiving at least $6 billion in stocks as part of the settlement. After running Microsoft for 25 years, Gates turned his attention to philanthropic ventures. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation began working in India in 2003, and with its Avahan initiative for HIV prevention, it is estimated to have prevented 6,00,000 new infections. Frequently asked questions1. What is the global count of billionaires in 2024?Forbes reports that as of April 2, 2024, the number of billionaires has reached 2,781,141 more than last year, and they are worth $14.2 trillion in aggregate.2. Is it possible for billionaires' net worth to fluctuateAbsolutely, given that a significant portion of their wealth is tied to publicly traded stocks, the net worth of the wealthiest individuals can fluctuate per market valuation.3. Which nation boasts the highest number of billionaires? According to Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2024, the US has a record 813 billionaires, followed by China with 473 billionaires and India in the third spot with 200 billionaires.